The invention is generally related to personal finance and e-commerce. Consumers purchase various goods and services at various times using credit card, debit card, automated teller machine (ATM) card, check and cash. Certain electronic transactions are recorded as line items within an account such as a checking or credit card account, which may be an on-line account accessible by a consumer using a computer. However, information about consumer purchases within these accounts and line items and may be limited to certain types of data such as transaction date, merchant identification and amount. Thus, these accounts do not include information identifying specific items purchased, and if a consumer wanted to purchase the same items again, the consumer would have limited options since these accounts do not specify the items purchased. Consumers can, if possible and able, determine item particulars from the item they currently have (if they still have the item), rely on their memory, take the time to travel to and shop at various merchant stores to search for the item and/or search for the item on-line. These methods may not be successful for various reasons and can be time consuming and frustrating, particularly if the item is not readily identifiable.
Other merchants, such as AMAZON.COM, present on-line summaries indicating order history and whether an order has shipped with the ability to track an order. These summaries, however, are passive or informational and do not allow consumers to purchase a particular item again from the informational summary displayed. Further, it is often the case that the item to be purchased again by a consumer is not included in these types of informational on-line summaries or was purchased too long ago, thus requiring the consumer to resort to the options mentioned above to try to determine a source of the same item that is desired.
For example, a consumer may have a favorite shirt that has become worn and the consumer desires to buy the same shirt again due to its particular design, fit and/or quality. The consumer may not recall that this particular shirt was purchased from a particular merchant such as MACY'S, when the shirt was purchased, and/or particulars about the shirt such as the type, style, color, size (e.g., the tag may have been removed or has become faded), or other particulars. Consequently, the consumer may not be able to locate the same shirt, assuming it is still manufactured, and may have to settle for a different shirt that is less desirable or not purchase any shirt, while taking the time to search for the same shirt.